1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to so-called xe2x80x9cimpregnation typexe2x80x9d face masks which are impregnated with a facial pack lotion and have at least one knob portion.
Additionally, the present invention relates to face masks which have knob portions, have excellent expandability and convenience and are fitted excellently.
In more detail, the present invention relates to impregnation type face masks, which can be easily unfolded or expanded evenly from a position in which a sheet base material is tightly folded by impregnation of a facial pack lotion, which are excellently convenient and which are fitted excellently and have excellent usability when applied for a long period of time.
2. Description of the Related Art
As one of cosmetic methods used from a long time ago, a method, in which a facial pack is applied to the skin surface for the purposes of moisturizing and supplying keratin of the skin and removing impurities or dirt from the skin surface, has been widely used.
Recently, demand for this type of facial packs is increasing encouraged by development of different facial packs used for different purposes including whitening the skin, reducing wrinkles and revitalizing the skin.
In the past, as facial packs, mainstream types were those which were applied to the face and wiped out or washed out after use. Applying those packs to the face was complicated and wiping them out after a facial pack was done was a lot of trouble. Later on, so-called peel-off types, in which facial packs were formed on the skin and peeled off from the skin after use, were introduced. Additionally, as different facial pack types, an attach-on type in which a jelly layer of a facial pack is provided on one side of a sheet base material (Japanese Patent Application Laid-open No.2001-247041) and an impregnation type in which a facial pack is impregnated in a base material were developed. Since then, product demand has surged.
As for the former attach-on type, those in which a jellied facial pack is coated on one side of a base sheet and a peel-off paper pattern is provided on top of it are popular. Because these attach-on type products have numerous manufacturing processes and are complicated, they are economically inefficient. Additionally, the thickness of these product types increases; they have high bending resistance, are not comfortable when applied, and are not suitable for application for long hours; a percentage of the active constituents of the facial pack to be infused into the skin from the jelly layer is low, approximately 3 to 5%. For these reasons, this type is unfit for a large-sized facial pack covering the entire face.
As compared with the former type, the impregnation facial pack type is a product type, which is made by impregnating a sheet base material including a thin nonwoven fabric with a facial pack agent having a viscosity lower than that of a gel used for the former attach-on type. This type has such advantages that it can be manufactured relatively easily, hence it is economical. This type is suitable for a large-sized facial pack, and its comfort when applied is relatively excellent. It has an advantage that a percentage of the active constituents of the facial pack to be infused into the skin of the face is by far higher than the attach-on type.
This impregnation facial pack type is made as follows: In a nonwoven base material with a size usually corresponding to the entire area of the face, small holes are made in places where the eyes and the mouth are and a cut is made in a place where the nose is, and a facial pack agent is infused in the base material. The impregnated material is folded in four or six and is commercialized by being enclosed in an airtight pouch package. This impregnated material folded needs to be taken out and unfolded or expanded when used. Regarding the process of unfolding or expanding the folded material, however, there was a problem that folded and overlapped portions of the material cohered by the adhesiveness of a facial pack lotion and unfolding the impregnated material was difficult. Moreover, there were more problems that the facial pack lotion adhered directly to hands and smeared hands and clothes. For these reasons, to improve a facial pack material to be easily unfolded and expanded, an impregnation type face mask, in which a resin film with pores made is superimposed on nonwoven fabric, was proposed (Japanese Patent Application Laid-open No.2000-287751). In this invention, however, facial pack constituents infused in the nonwoven fabric escaped from the pores made in the resin film and did not return to the nonwoven fabric. As the result, the facial pack was wasted and hands and clothes were smeared. Besides, difficulty in unfolding the material was not able to be solved.
For the purpose of facilitating unfolding of a folded face mask, the inventors of the present invention proposed to improve the difficulty in unfolding the face mask by providing at least two knob portions projecting outward in the rim of a sheet base material with which the facial pack agent is infused (Japanese Utility Model Patent No.3072027). With this invention, if a thin nonwoven fabric was used in order to accommodate consumers"" need calling for use of thinner sheet base materials, thin nonwoven base materials were deformed or torn if pulled at the knob portions of the sheet base material with both hands. Additionally, a problem in smearing clothes was not able to be solved.
Consequently, the inventors of the present invention have proposed an impregnation type face mask in which tensile physical property was reinforced by laminating a film for cutting off liquid on a sheet base material and knob portions were formed (Japanese Patent Application No. 2001-333306, not yet published) and an impregnation type face mask reinforced by mixing synthetic fibers in a cellulose nonwoven fabric (Japanese Patent Application No. 2002-103798, not yet published). Problems in unfolding and expanding of the face mask, however, were not sufficiently resolved.
To obtain a face mask having better quality when it is unfolded and expanded, after working assiduously, the inventors of the present invention have found that by designating physical attributes, e.g., a specific range of elongation percentages when being wetted, a degree of bending resistance, and viscosity of lotion to be infused, to the sheet base material for face masks described in the Japanese Patent Application No. 2001-333306 and No. 2002-103798, a face mask can be provided which can be unfolded easily and has excellent quality when unfolded and expanded and excellent convenience and which can be fitted excellently and is comfortable when applied.
Consequently, it was found that a face mask possessing excellent qualities when unfolded and expanded and excellent convenience according to an embodiment of the present invention has the following characteristics:
(1) By using a thin sheet base material with bending resistance as low as possible, a face mask can be better fitted and has better usability.
(2) The viscosity of facial pack lotion, which is infused in the sheet base material, is adjusted to an appropriate range.
(3) The sheet base material is made using a thin cellulose nonwoven fabric with a basis weight of 60 g/m2 or less and by making holes in places where the eyes, the nose and the mouth are. In a condition that facial pack lotion is infused in the sheet base material, the sheet base material is unfolded and expanded easily by pulling one or more knob portions projecting outward with both hands.
(4) The sheet base material cannot be deformed or torn when it is expanded by holding the knob portions.
The face mask according to an embodiment of the present invention has excellent qualities when expanded and unfolded and excellent convenience. The facial pack can be excellently fitted and is comfortable when applied. Unlike the facial pack for the above-mentioned attach-on type, because this type of facial pack is applied to the face for long hours in order to allow its constituents to be infused into the skin adequately, the effectiveness of the facial pack is by far better than the attach-on type. This face mask can satisfy consumers"" requests for usability for long hours and adhesion to the face, well-fittedness to the face and others.
The basics of the face mask according to the present invention include, but are not limited to, the following:
(1) An impregnation type face mask using a cellulose nonwoven fabric with a basis weight of 60 g/m2 and less as a sheet base material and possessing at least one knob portion projecting outward and the base material is folded, which is characterized in that the nonwoven base material is reinforced and has an elongation percentage of 30% or less at a tensile stress of 3.9 N/5 cm when being wetted, and a relative bending resistance of 5 mNxc2x7cm or less when being wetted pursuant to JISL1913 (1998) cantilever method, and said face mask is made by impregnating the material with a facial pack lotion having a viscosity of 0.5 to 10 Paxc2x7sec by 50 wt % or more.
(2) The face mask as mentioned in (1) above, which is characterized in that the cellulose nonwoven fabric sheet is a sheet base material which is reinforced by combining with synthetic fiber.
(3) The face mask as mentioned in (1) or (2) above, which is characterized in that, in the sheet base material, the facial pack lotion has a viscosity of 0.8 to 8 Paxc2x7sec and is infused by 50 wt % or more based on the material.
(4) The face mask as mentioned in (1) above, which is characterized in that the cellulose nonwoven fabric sheet is reinforced by superposing a resin film having pores on its single side or interlayer.
(5) The face mask as mentioned in (4) above, which is characterized in that the superposition is thermally bonded in a punctiform manner.
(6) The face mask as mentioned in (1), (4) or (5) above, which is characterized in that, in the sheet base material, the facial pack lotion has a viscosity of 0.8 to 3 Paxc2x7sec and is infused by 50 wt % or more.
(7) The face mask as mentioned in any one of (1) to (6) above, which is characterized in that the face mask has a shape covering a face and a neck and having a score formed at least in a region dividing the face and the neck.
(8) The face mask as mentioned in any one of (1) to (7) above, which is characterized in that a structure having portions to be placed over ears is provided to ensure application of the mask to the entire face.
Unlike an attach-on type face mask using high viscosity gel, the impregnation-type face mask according to an embodiment of the present invention does not disturb cutaneous respiration. When applied, because it requires long time before the infused lotion evaporates, the active constituents can be infused into the skin slowly. If a ratio of facial pack lotion infused in a sheet base material is 50% or less, the material becomes too dry and becomes difficult to stay on the face. With the knob portions to be placed over the ears, however, the material can stay on the face after it dries out on the skin surface. A shape of the sheet base material with the portions to be placed over ears can be as shown in FIG. 7. This structure can be altered to have both the holding portions and portions to be placed over ears by attaching a string or a tape on the sheet base material.
For purposes of summarizing the invention and the advantages achieved over the prior art, certain objects and advantages of the invention have been described above. Of course, it is to be understood that not necessarily all such objects or advantages may be achieved in accordance with any particular embodiment of the invention. Thus, for example, those skilled in the art will recognize that the invention may be embodied or carried out in a manner that achieves or optimizes one advantage or group of advantages as taught herein without necessarily achieving other objects or advantages as may be taught or suggested herein.
Further aspects, features and advantages of this invention will become apparent from the detailed description of the preferred embodiments which follow.